The Palestinian Authorities have rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the residents of the Gaza Strip.

“The Palestinian leadership affirms its firm position that the two-state solution, in accordance with international legitimacy and international law, is the guarantee of security, stability, and peace,” Mr Hussein al-Sheikh said.

Mr Al-Sheikh, the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), wrote on X on Wednesday.

The two-state solution provided for Israel and a Palestinian state to coexist as independent states.

The Palestinian leadership “affirms its rejection of all calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland.

“We were born here; we have lived here, and we will remain here,’’ Mr Al-Sheikh added.

Following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Mr Trump said the U.S. “will take over the Gaza Strip.’’

Mr Trump said that the approximately two million Palestinians living in the territory should be relocated to other countries.

The forced relocation of Palestinians would be in violation of international humanitarian law.

Rule 129 of customary international humanitarian law states, “Parties to an international armed conflict may not deport or forcibly transfer the civilian population of an occupied territory.

“Either in whole or in part, unless the security of the civilians involved or imperative military reasons so demand.’’

While there are exceptions to the law, none of these is likely to apply in the case of Gaza.

President Bola Tinubu has increased the proposed 2025 budget from ₦49.7 trillion to ₦54.2 trillion as a result of additional revenues generated by key government agencies.

The budget adjustments were contained in the letters addressed to the National Assembly and read by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Wednesday.

According to the President, the increase was inspired by ₦1.4 trillion in additional revenue from the Federal Inland Revenue Service, ₦1.2 trillion from the Nigeria Customs Service and ₦1.8 trillion generated by other government-owned agencies.

Mr Akpabio referred Mr Tinubu’s request to the Senate Committee on Appropriations for urgent consideration after announcing the increase to lawmakers.

The Senate president said the budget proposal would be finalised and passed before the end of February.

In December last year, Mr Tinubu presented N47.90 trillion as the proposed 2025 Budget, an increase from the 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion presented in 2023.

The President stressed that the budget, titled, “Budget of Restoration, Security Peace, Rebuilding Prosperity,’’ was designed to ensure macro-economic stability, poverty reduction, promoting economic stability, developing human capital development and insecurity.

Suspended Olorile of Orile Ifo, Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi, was on Tuesday, remanded at the Ilaro Correctional Centre in Ogun State, until the perfection of his bail conditions.

“Yes, he is in our custody, which means he has been unable to meet the bail conditions granted by the court yesterday. However, as soon as he does, he will be released,” spokesperson for the facility, Yinka Odukoya, told The PUNCH on Wednesday.

The state police command arraigned Mr Ogunjobi for assaulting, cursing, threatening to kill or jail a 73-year-old man, Abraham Areola, as seen in a viral video.

The monarch, already slammed with a six months suspension by the state Governor Dapo Abiodun, according to the charge sheet (MH2b8c/2025), was accused of conspiracy, assault, and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, but he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice F.A. Iroko of the Magistrate Court in Ifo, granted Mr Ogunjobi, a N5 million bail with two sureties who must be residents within the court’s jurisdiction, before adjourning the case to March 6, 2025, for a hearing.

A U.S. military plane carrying 104 illegal Indian immigrants on Wednesday landed at an airport in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, officials said.

This is the first batch of Indians deported from the U.S. as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign against illegal immigrants in the country.

According to officials, the C-17 U.S. military aircraft took off from San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday and landed at the airport in Amritsar in the afternoon on Wednesday.

Police and civil administration officials were present at the airport to receive the 104 individuals, comprising 79 men and 25 women.

Out of the 104 illegal immigrants, 33 are from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, three from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, and two from Chandigarh.

A local television news channel NDTV reporting its sources said each deported Indian national onboard the flight was verified, indicating New Delhi’s involvement in the process.

Officials said the deportees are not offenders in India, as they might have used the legal route to leave the country but tried entering the U.S. via the illegal route.

Immediately after Mr Trump took over as U.S. president for the second time, he started a massive crackdown on illegal immigrants.

U.S. military aircraft have flown back immigrants deported to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.

India’s foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, had earlier said that New Delhi was open to the “legitimate return’’ of Indian nationals living illegally abroad, including in the U.S.

Earlier last week, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, at a news briefing said that New Delhi was against illegal immigration because it is linked to several forms of organised crime.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared open the Joint Task Force Commanders Conference 2025 at Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

The President was represented by the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru.

The conference is an avenue to review the military’s joint task force last year, consolidate on previous successes and strategise for this year’s joint operations.

The conference, which commenced today, February 5 will end on February 7.

Also present at the occasion are the former Chiefs of Defence Staff Gen. Martins Luther Agwai, Gen. Lucky Irabor; former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahya, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, service chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police, Controller-General of the Nigeria Custom Service and members of the National Assembly.

Professor Adamu Ahmed has been named the new Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

According to a statement by the university’s Director of Public Affairs, Malam Auwalu Umar, on Wednesday, he replaces Prof. Kabir Bala.

The appointment was announced early Wednesday during the 209th (Special) Council meeting, presided over by Chairman Mahmud Yayale Ahmed.

Ahmed, a lecturer in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, previously served as the Director of the Directorate of University Advancement.

He is also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal University of Education, Kano.

His appointment has been welcomed by stakeholders, who describe him as an experienced academic and administrator.

“Professor Ahmed is a round peg in a round hole,”. “He has the experience, expertise, and passion to lead ABU to greatness.”

Mexico on Tuesday began moving troops to its northern border as part of a 10,000-member deployment that President Claudia Sheinbaum promised US counterpart Donald Trump in exchange for a delay of his tariffs.

“The deployment has already started,” Sheinbaum told reporters a day after announcing a last-minute deal with Trump to tighten measures against illegal migration and cross-border smuggling of the drug fentanyl.

Several hundred members of the National Guard were seen boarding a military airplane in the southeastern city of Merida, heading for the Mexican-US border.

Troops were seen arriving in Tijuana, just south of California, and Ciudad Juarez, bordering Texas.

“There will be patrols along the entire US-Mexico border,” said Jose Luis Santos, National Guard coordinator in Ciudad Juarez.

“Patrols will be conducted on foot and by vehicle, as well as patrols on various roads leading to the border,” he told reporters.

Authorities from both countries also started a joint operation in Ciudad Juarez to locate a possible tunnel used by migrants to cross into the United States.

They found a storm drain during a search on Tuesday, but it did not lead into US territory, said the government of Chihuahua state, where Ciudad Juarez is located.

Last month, US and Mexican security agencies discovered a clandestine border tunnel going from Ciudad Juarez into El Paso, Texas.

The tunnel measured approximately 300 meters (1,000 feet) in length on the Mexican side and was hidden in a storm sewerage system operating between both cities.

Mexico had repeatedly pledged to Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, that it would tackle illegal flows of drugs and migrants, and border states already have a heavy security presence, including thousands of troops.

Trump on Saturday announced sweeping measures against the United States’ three biggest trading partners: Canada, China, and Mexico.

Its immediate neighbors were to face a tariff of 25 percent, the president said, and China an additional 10 percent on top of existing duties.

Canada and Mexico announced plans for reciprocal levies before both countries’ presidents managed to strike a deal with Trump on Monday that saw him delay the tariffs by a month.

Markets had slumped Monday after the weekend threats sparked fears of a global trade war.

Sheinbaum said troops had been taken from parts of the country that “do not have as much of a security problem.”

Several hundred thousand people have been killed since Mexico deployed the army to combat trafficking in 2006, according to official figures.

The US border deployment “does not leave the rest of the country without security,” the president said.

The Imo State Police Command has arrested three men in the Ogii community, Okigwe Local Government Area, for allegedly being in possession of a human skull.

The suspects, identified as Patrick Okoere (29), Ifeanyichukwu Anyaemeka (28), and Chukwuemeka Onyekachi (20), were apprehended following a tip-off from residents.

Imo State police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said in a statement on Tuesday that the trio was arrested on February 3 along the Okigwe-Umuahia Expressway with a human skull, a native hen, and white garments.

According to Okoye, one of the suspects, Okoere, claimed that his uncle, Osunta Oko, had asked him to procure a human skull for use in a land dispute.

He allegedly found it by a riverbank in an area known for kidnapping activities.

The statement read, “As part of the Imo State Police Command’s continued efforts to curb criminal activities in the state, operatives of Okigwe divisional headquarters, in collaboration with residents of Ogii community, on 3/02/2025, arrested three suspects found in possession of a human skull, a native hen and white garments along the Okigwe-Umuahia Express Road.

“The three individuals arrested—Patrick Okoere (29), Ifeanyichukwu Anyaemeka (28), and Chukwuemeka Onyekachi (20)—are currently under investigation. During questioning, Patrick stated that his uncle, Osunta Oko, had asked him to acquire a human skull. He claimed to have found it along a riverbank on the Okigwe-Umuahia Expressway, an area where the command has received cases of kidnappings.

“The Imo State Police Command is actively pursuing Osunta Oko and other possible accomplices in connection with this disturbing incident. In addition, a DNA analysis is underway to determine the identity of the skull’s owner.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, reassured the public of the Command’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the safety and security of all residents. He emphasised that justice will be served and that the suspects will face prosecution upon completion of the investigation.”

Meanwhile, Okoye said the public will be updated on the case as investigations unfold.

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, has approved the appointment of Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, AS Akinlabi, as the new Service Public Relations Officer with immediate effect.

The Principal Staff Officer to the Comptroller General, Dr Adedotun Aridegbe, announced this in a statement made available on Wednesday titled ‘New Spokesperson Appointed for Nigeria Immigration Service.’

“This appointment follows the posting of the immediate past Service Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Kenneth Udo, as Passport Control Officer, Akwa Ibom State Command as contained in the Senior Staff Posting Order released on January 31, 2025,” the statement read.

Akinlabi hails from Ibarapa Central Local Government Area, Oyo State.

He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, and holds a BSc in Accounting from the University of Ilorin, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 2003 and 2015 respectively.

The new spokesperson was enlisted into the Nigeria Immigration Service on December 29, 2006, and completed his Superintendent Basic Course at Immigration Training School, Kano, in December, 2007.

He also attended numerous specialised courses in Migration, Security, and Border management.

In January 2008, he was posted to the Service Headquarters where he gained experience across various Directorates of the Service including Accounts and Finance, Protocol, Training and Staff Development, and Passport and other Travel Documents amongst others.

“He was one of the pioneer Staff of the then newly established Nigeria Immigration Service Contact Centre, where he served and eventually became Second-in-Command (2 I/C) at the SERVICOM Unit which has direct operational nexus with public relations activities,” the statement read.

Before his latest appointment, Akinlabi was an Immigration Attache at the Embassy of Nigeria, The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined assent to the bill seeking to establish a Federal University of Education in Numan, Adamawa State, citing inconsistencies in the legislation.

In a letter to the Speaker, read during plenary on Tuesday by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, the President informed the House that he made the decision on December 23, 2024.

“Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I hereby convey to the House of Representatives my decision to decline presidential assent to the Federal University of Education, Numan Establishment Bill 2024 recently passed by the National Assembly,” the letter stated.

Tinubu outlined specific reasons for his decision, emphasizing the bill’s inconsistencies as a key concern: a. Section 22 of the bill confer the authority to the disposal of land of the university on the governor and not the President as it ought to be in the case of land belong to the federal government.

Meanwhile, the House has adjourned plenary till Wednesday in honour of the late Deputy Chief Whip, Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga in line with the tradition of the National Assembly.

The Nation however observed that the seat usually occupied by the late Onanuga inside the chamber was covered with a white cloth as a mark of respect for her.

The wife of the president, Oluremi Tinubu, met on Tuesday with former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, at their uphill residences in Minna.

Mrs. Tinubu arrived in a private aircraft at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna at about 10.30 am.

She was received at the airport by the Niger state Governor, Dr Umaru Mohammed Bago and his wife, Hajiya Fatima Bago.

The wife of the president proceeded directly from the airport to the Uphill residence of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, where she held a closed-door meeting with him for about 35 minutes.

Afterward, she visited the nearby residence of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, for another meeting that was still ongoing at the time of filing this report.

Journalists, except those in the Niger State Governor’s press crew, were not informed about the meetings. When asked, officials described the visits as private.

Suspected kidnappers have abducted seven travellers along the Owo-Ipele axis of the Owo-Benin highway in Ondo State.

The attack occurred over the weekend, sparking concerns over rising insecurity in the area.

Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident, stating that officers have been deployed to rescue the victims.

The abduction comes shortly after the killing of five farmers at Ajegunle Powerline in Akure North Local Government Area.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed into law the bill establishing the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC).

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the signing of the bill today during a session in the Senate chamber.

He said: “Let me also inform my colleagues that Mr. President has also assented to North-Central Development Commission establishment bill 2024, in order to bring development to the grassroot.

“And for this we congratulate, the good people of the North-Central region of Nigeria, and we wish them more development and particularly peace, as we forge ahead in the task of nation building.”

The Ogun Police Command has grilled the embattled Olorile of Orile Ifo, Oba Abdulsemiu Adewale Ogunjobi, for assaulting an elderly man, Mr. Areola Abraham and subjecting him to verbal abuse.

A trending video showed Mr Areola Abraham prostrating before Oba Ogunjobi who could be heard verbally attacking the elderly man.

He also allegedly shoved the man’s cap off his head in a humiliating manner, and alleged uncivil conduct that compelled the Ogun State Government to swiftly suspend him for six months.

Given the gravity of the incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, ordered a thorough and discreet investigation into the matter, assuring that the rule of law and fundamental human rights principles in the instant case would be enforced.

Oba Ogunjobi and his victim reported at the State Criminal Investigation Department Eleweran on Monday where their statements were obtained.

Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Omolola Odutola, the Police Public Relations Officer Ogun State Police Command, confirmed this, saying the Command condemned any form of assault, harassment and violence regardless of the individuals involved.

CSP Odutola added that the command would ensure that justice is served.

The Naira depreciated at the official market on Monday, trading at N1,495.60 to a dollar.

Data from the FMDQ Security Exchange official forex trading platform revealed that the Naira lost N20.82.

This represents a 1.4 per cent loss when compared to the previous trading day on Friday, Jan. 31, when the local currency closed trading at N1,474.78 to a dollar.

Trading on the Investors and Exporters (I&E) Forex window on Monday recorded a high of N1,497.50 and a low of N1,470.00.

The Naira has enjoyed relative stability against the dollar since December 2024 due to sustained reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The reforms are aimed at ensuring transparency in the foreign exchange (FX) market.

The apex bank’s reforms are also boosting capacity of BDCs who are in the retail end of the FX market.

The apex bank on Tuesday, Jan. 28, in Abuja, approved waivers on the 2025 annual license renewal fee for all existing BDC operators.

The bank also on Monday, Feb. 3 extended deadline for sales of dollars to BDCs from Jan. 31 until May 30.

On Monday, the Ogun government placed Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi, the Olorile of Orile-Ifo in the Ifo LGA, on a six-month suspension for “uncivil conduct”.

Ganiu Hazmat, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, disclosed in a statement in Abeokuta that Mr Ogunjobi’s conduct did not befit the status of a king.

Mr Hamzat explained that the government decided to ensure the dignity of persons and the protection of the sanctity of the revered traditional institution.

The commissioner noted that the decision was reached after the traditional ruler and his victim were invited to the ministry for interrogation.

He said their invitation became imperative due to the traditional ruler’s reckless utterances and public misconduct, as evidenced by a viral video on social media.

“After the investigation conducted on the matter, Oba Ogunjobi has been suspended. He has been stripped of the paraphernalia of the stool of Olorile of Orile-Ifo pending the determination of his culpability or otherwise in the matter,” Mr Hamzat said.

The commissioner said the decision was reached by the Ministry in conjunction with the Egba Traditional Council.

“This was in accordance with Section 52(1) of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State 2021,” he said.

Mr Hamzat added that the state government would not condone acts of indignity on any of its residents by anybody, no matter how highly placed.

The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Monday, convicted and sentenced a woman, Benedicta Usen, aka Carol Omomoh, to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for trafficking a lady for prostitution.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment, said he found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt concerning each allegation in the eight-count change.

The judge consequently sentenced Ms Omomoh to two years and six months imprisonment, each in counts one, three, five and seven, without an option of a fine.

The judge also sentenced her to counts two, four, six, and eight to five years imprisonment, each without an option of a fine. He ordered that all the jail terms run concurrently, effective February 3.

Mr Ekwo observed that Ms Omomoh’s denials in the face of her evidence-in-chief as first defence witness (DW1) only exposed her “as a barefaced liar, a crooked and dishonest human being.”

According to the judge, to even have the audacity to stand in court and deny the statement she made voluntarily to the police shows how depraved she is.

“The evidence also exposes her as being in the business of procuring young vulnerable women like Miss Cynthia Omoieke for prostitution abroad.

“People like the defendant must be taken out of the society for good. I, therefore, make an order convicting the defendant of the charge In counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 as charged. This is the order of this court,” the judge ruled.

The inspector general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, had, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2019, named Omomoh the sole defendant.

In the eight-count amended charge dated Oct 24, 2022, the police chief alleged that the defendant Ms Omomoh and Oyomiya Lamidi (now at large), sometime in 2011 in Lagos, conspired between themselves to commit the offence by recruiting and transporting Cynthia Loveth Ese Omoieke to Italy through the United Kingdom using deception and abuse of position of vulnerability.

The offence is punishable under Section 27 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration (TPPEA) Act, 2015.

In count five, she and Ms Lamidi, sometime in 2011 in Lagos, conspired to commit an offence by organising and facilitating the foreign travel of Ms Omoieke to Italy through the UK, which travel promoted prostitution and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27 of the TPPEA Act, 2015.

Ms Omomoh, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and the prosecution called two witnesses to establish a case against her.

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Kuje has ordered the remand of a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Usman Yusuf in Kuje prison pending the determination of his bail application.

Justice Chinyere Nwecheonwu issued the order on Monday after Yusuf was arraigned and he pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge bordering on fraud, brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Shortly after his plea was taken, his lawyer, O.I Habeeb urged the court to allow his client to remain in the custody of the EFCC (from where he was brought to court) pending the hearing and determination of his bail application.

Justice Nwecheonwu rejected the defence lawyer’s request, noting that the defendant could not be kept in the custody of the EFCC after his arraignment.

She proceeded to order that Yusuf be remanded at the Kuje prison in Abuja and adjourned till February 12 for the hearing of the defendant’s bail application.

In the charge, the EFCC accused Yusuf of allegedly using his position at the time to confer an undue advantage to himself by approving the purchase of a vehicle at the cost of N49,197,750, against the budgeted sum of N30,000,000.

The EFCC equally accused him of retaining a private interest in GK Kanki Foundation, and without due process, awarding a contract in the sum of N10.1 million in favour of the foundation, for the purported training of 90 persons — when the actual number of trainees was 45.

No fewer than seven policemen were shot during a violent communal clash between residents of Ido-Ijesa and Esa-Oke in Osun State, following the appointment of a new monarch for the Ido-Ajegunle community by Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Governor Adeleke had approved the installation of Prince Timileyin Ajayi as the Olojudo of Ido-Ajegunle, a neighbouring community to Esa-Oke.

However, residents of Esa-Oke strongly opposed the decision, arguing that the new king hails from Ilesa and is not indigenous to their town.

A top security source, speaking anonymously, revealed that tensions escalated after vigilantes allegedly brought in by the new monarch were arrested by the police four days ago.

Confirming the incident, Osun State Police Command spokesperson Yemisi Opalola stated that seven officers sustained gunshot wounds during the violent confrontation.

Security forces have since been deployed to restore order in the affected communities.

She said: “Police operatives have been deployed to restore peace. Seven policemen were shot when they first arrived in the community.

“When we heard that there was a crisis in the community, we deployed our men to the communities, then they were ambushed. The policemen were trying to clear the trees that fell on their path when they were ambushed. The bullet hit one of them on the neck”.

A policeman was killed in a gunshot by unidentified militants in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday morning, official sources said.

The incident happened at about 9:20 a.m. local time (GMT 0420) in the Khyber district, where the policeman, who was on duty as part of a polio vaccination campaign, was targeted.

The sources from the district told Xinhua that the assailants fled the scene after seizing the cop’s submachine gun.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

However, the sources indicated that the area has seen increased activities by militant groups, including factions associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Police cordoned off the area, and an investigation into the attack has commenced.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday began a nationwide anti-polio campaign for 2025.

This reaffirmed his government’s determination to eliminate the polio disease from the South Asian country.